Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: Pointing towards the steep hike in the prices of essential commodities and resultant hardships faced by the people, Harshdev Singh, chairman JKNPP and former Minister said that unbridled inflation at the time of surging COVID pandemic had posed the most menacing threat to the very survival of common man.
“The unprecedented hike in the prices of petrol, diesel, LPG had resulted in escalation of prices of various goods and services in general resulting in immense public hardships. Most distressing aspect of the matter is the rise in cost of living without any corresponding increase in the income of the people. The people had lost their jobs and sources of income and the Government had failed to compensate them in such difficult times of Corona,” he said.
Accusing the Government of having failed to fulfill its obligations as a welfare State, Singh said that while the prices of essentials had multiplied manifold, it had failed to effect any increase in the wages and honorarium of the poor daily wagers and contractual employees working in Government establishments, thus forcing them to starvation.
“Government has further stopped the supply of free ration to the poor and BPL families despite the deductions being made from the DA of the Government employees, pensioners and ex-servicemen. The poor labourers who had lost their sources of livelihood during Corona needed to be provided adequate financial assistance for their survival. It’s the prime responsibility of the State to come to the succour of its citizens during critical times and to bail them out of crisis,” the JKNPP chairman asserted.
Seeking the linking of daily wages and other relief to marginalized sections to inflation, Singh sought immediate review of Minimum Wages Act, besides hike in honorarium and emoluments of other lesser privileged sections of work force and Government employees. He sought payment of minimum relief of Rs 6,000 per month, besides creation of Welfare Fund for poor landless people and labourers who were living below poverty line.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel